Engineers Reach 20-Win Plateau Following Sweep of Wheaton

NORTON, Mass. - The MIT women's volleyball team improved to 5-0 in conference play following a 30-13, 30-23, 30-20, victory over Wheaton College in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) match on Tuesday night. The Engineers' overall ledger was raised to 20-1, marking the 27th time the program has surpassed the 20-win total in its 33 seasons of existence. Tech, off to its best start during head coach Paul Dill's 12-year tenure, has reached this milestone every season since he has been at the helm of the program.

This season is the second time MIT posted 20 wins through 21 matches, with the first occurring in 1982. The Engineers opened the 1988 season with 21 straight wins, which ranks second to the 41 consecutive victories that were racked up by the 1983 squad.

Wheaton took the opening point in game one on a kill from Sam Andreacchi before MIT rattled off seven straight points behind the serving of Lindsay Hunting. After establishing a 17-7 lead, the Engineers went on a 6-0 run to put the game out of reach.

MIT opened the second stanza with seven straight points on Hunting's serve, but the Lyons narrowed the gap to four (10-6). The Engineers pushed their lead out to nine on three occasions, including the latter at 28-19, before Barden Cleeland closed things out with the game-winning kill.

The final frame was tight in the early going, as Wheaton kept pace through the better portion of play. MIT created some breathing room with a five-point advantage (12-7), but the Lyons chipped away at their deficit to trail by two on four occasions, with the final such margin coming at 17-15. The Engineers used a 6-1 stretch to extend its lead before using back-to-back kills from Cleeland to complete the sweep.

Andreacchi and Lauren Kraus had eight and six kills, respectively, for Wheaton, while Becca Rose finished with 21 assists and 10 digs. Kristen Hunt led the team with 12 digs, and Andreacchi completed her double-double with 11.